Greening supply and demand: Advancing Eco-Labels and Sustainable Public Procurement for climate and biodiversity protection (Eco-Advance)

State of implementation/results

Regional:

• On July 10th, 2024, the Environmental Alliance of America (AAA), the first regional eco-labeling programme that is backed by regulatory, standardization, and accreditation bodies was legally established.
• “Training of trainers” for stakeholders from the five countries on eco-labelling and SPP in partnership with the Central America Institute on Public Administration (ICAP) have been organized in 2024.
• A short list of products and services was identified in 2024 that will allow criteria development in prioritized markets. Prioritization process was based on a methodological guide for SPP, environmental, social and economic relevance, policy opportunity, and consultation with counterparts in the five countries.
• In 2024, a series of regional webinars for knowledge transfer and capacity building addressing topics such as “Environmental and Economic Benefits of using Ecolabeling criteria in SPP” ; “Implementing SPP monitoring systems in target countries”; “Introducing Life Cycle Costing in SPP” and “Instruments and Incentives for SMEs participation in SPP” attended by about 1110 persons.
• In 2024, several studies, good practices and policy briefs were prepared, such as “instruments and incentives for promoting participation of Small and Medium Enterprises - SMES in SPP”; “factsheets quantifying potential benefits of using eco-labels in SPP in target countries”; and six good practices on eco-labels and SPP published, and 9 more are under review.
• Together with One Planet Network, a global conference on Ecolabel and Sustainable Public Procurement with government and civil society representatives was organised in Bogota, Colombia on November 14th - 15th, 2023, to facilitate knowledge exchange, capacity building and learning. --* Brazil:
• Diagnosis of SPP and Type I ecolabels in the country and recommendations in terms of gender and social aspects.
• Study to support the advancement of the new created Green Label type I (Selo Verde Brasil).
• Guidelines on how to define and implement sustainability criteria in Public Procurement, including the use of eco-labels, are under review of the Ministry of Management and Innovation (MGI).
• For two prioritized products, coffee and textiles, sustainability criteria were developed.
• Development of contributions to strengthen the political and legal framework of sustainable public procurement and type I eco-label. --* Colombia:
• Development of structural proposal for the monitoring and evaluating public procurement including indicators related to climate change, biodiversity and sustainable consumption and production.
• Contributions to updating the Guide to Social and Environmental sustainability criteria in Public Procurement, including the use of a cost-benefit analysis tool.
• Drafting a fiscal observatory to monitor the country's financial expenditures related to SPP in four cities, Bogotá, Manizales, Montería and Medellín.
• Definition of a strategy to promote the Colombian eco-label and sustainable public procurement. --* Costa Rica:
• Capacity building on regulations and ISO standards, with a focus on certification bodies, aiming for gender balance, for 15 people who will contribute to the implementation of the National Ecolabel Program.
• A grant agreement was signed with the Institute of Technical Standards of Costa Rica (INTECO) to strengthen the National Ecolabel Program.
• Three webinars on SPP and benefits of eco-labelling involving chambers of commerce on “eco-labelling in Costa Rica and Regional Commerce”, “Ecolabel as a commercial opportunity” and “Ecolabeling of products and services” were conducted.
• The “Strategy for the implementation of sustainable public procurement in the infrastructure and transportation sector” in Costa Rica was presented with the participation of the Vice Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure.
• Validation of the guide of environmental guidelines for sustainable public procurement.
• Review/update of regulations for sustainable public procurement and environmental labelling.
• Technical support for the creation of the National Procurement Plan.
• Technical support for the definition of sustainable criteria of the general agreements of public procurement issued for three products / services (ongoing activity). --* Ecuador:
• Capacity building on SPP and analysis of the feasibility of setting up a system of Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation of Green or Triple Impact Public Procurement.
• Training course on implementation of the SPP legislation in progress.
• Comparative study and roadmap to contribute for mandatory SPP under review. --* Mexiko:
• Review of the verification tools adopted by the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) for environmental audits, resulting in a roadmap for the improvement of joint actions on labels and SPP.

Latest Update:
12/2024

Further links

• Website: Global conference on EcoLabel and Sustainable Public Procurement with government and civil society representatives. (EN)
• Study on instruments and incentives for promoting participation of SMES in SPP (only in Spanish)